There's an Elephant in My Garden

I thought you might like to see a photo of my entry in the NJS at Quilt Saskatoon. The piece is entitled "There's an Elephant in My Garden", and is an Art Deco inspired piece. In fact, all the shapes I used in this piece are shapes from other Art Deco inspired designs I've made in the past. The artist's statement that accompanies it reads:

This quilt is about joy. About grace and joy. About what astonishes us, what grabs our heart, what takes our breath away. About things we don't believe will ever come true, but then they do. About things that are right in front of our eyes, but in our unbelief, we nearly miss then. About miracles in our midst and gifts beyond our imagining.

It gave me great pleasure making this quilt, the kind that is enough in itself. My quilt didn't win any prizes, but as nice as that might have been, it didn't diminish my joy in making it. And I know that it was my best effort. And to me that makes it successful, no matter what.

Timberlane Quilters' Guild

In Powell River, in our Ferns and Flowers class, participants worked with a variety of motifs from the Art Deco period, in designing their own original wallhanging. While working with the same shapes, each piece was unique, dispelling the notion that only some people are created to be artists. The fun was in seeing the pieces emerge, each demonstrating the sense of colour and design, the sense of balance and harmony, of the artist who made it. Having two days instead of the usual one day for this class, allowed time for Joan Darling to share her knowledge and experience of embellishing Art Deco-inspired quilts, as well as giving ample time for most
particpants to finish their design and consider border treatments. There were opportunities to learn how to couch yarns onto the piece, add Angelina highlights, and to add beading to the wallhangings. All in all, a totally inspiring weekend for all of us!